Wire tyer for balers

ABSTRACT

A bale tying device comprising a twister assembly positioned adjacent one side of the compaction chamber of bale forming apparatus and wire guides positioned adjacent the opposite side of the compaction chamber such that material is moved between the twister assembly and the wire guides as a high density bale is formed. Spaced twister hooks, carried by the twister, are extended across the rear end of the bale to engage a strand of wire and are retracted to engage the second strand of wire. The joined portions of the strands of wire are locked into V-shaped grooves in the spaced twister hooks and intermediate portions of the joined strands are cut permitting rotation of the spaced twister hooks to form a tie around the bale while simultaneously preparing the unused wire for tying a subsequently formed bale.

[ 1 Nov. 11, 1975 United States Patent 11 1 Burford WIRE TYER FOR BALERS Primary Examiner-Richard E. Aegerter Assistant li\'a771iI1erWillis Little Attorney, Agent, or Fir/nHoward E. Moore; Gerald G. Crutsinger T C A R T S B A n 5 4 7 9 5 my F4 N ml ,P i n. FA UH 7.7.

A bale tying device comprising a twister assembly po- Related Application Data sitioned adjacent one side of the compaction chamber [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 180.592. Sept. 15. of bale forming apparatus and wire guides positioned 1971- Nov adjacent the opposite side of the compaction chamber such that material is moved between the twister as- 100/31 sembly and the wire guides as a high density bale is 3658 13/30 formed. Spaced twister hooks, carried by the twister, 19 are extended across the rear end of the bale to engage 100/29 a strand of wire and are retracted to engage the second strand of wire. The joined portions of the strands of wire are locked into V-shaped grooves in the spaced twister hooks and intermediate portions of the joined strands are cut permitting rotation of the spaced twister hooks to form a tie around the bale 100/19 R- Int. B65B 13/06; Field of Search......1. 100/19 R, 31

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Persson while simultaneously preparing the unused wire for tying a subsequently formed bale.

637.411) 5/1950 United Kingdom............... 100/19 R 19 Drawing Figures 7 Claims,

US. Patent Nov. 11, 1975 Sheet10f8 3,918,358

U.S. Patent Nov. 11, 1975 Sheet 2 of8 3,918,358

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U.S. Patent Nov. 11, 1975 Sheet 3 of8 3,918,358

U.S. Patent Nov.11,1975 Sheet4of8 3,918,358

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U.S. Patent Nov. 11, 1975 Sheet 5 of 8 US. Patent Nov. 11, 1975 Sheet7of8 3,918,358

US. Patent Nov. 11,1975 Sheet8of8 3,918,358

WIRE TYER FOR BALERS CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 180,592, filed Sept. 15, 1971 entitled Bale Tying Device, now US. Pat. No. 3,789,751.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Heretofore, no suitable bale tying apparatus has been devised for automatically tying a plurality of strands of stiff high tension wire around a bale of high density material such as waste paper and other industrial scrap material to allow expeditious disposal thereof and to facilitate recycling the material. The term high density as used herein is, for example, paper compressed to a density in excess of pounds per cubic foot.

Bale tying devices heretofore devised have been adapted for tying bales which were not held in a compacted condition by a plunger exerting substantial pressure while ties were being formed. Consequently, the volume of a bale containing a predetermined mass of material was excessive.

Bale tying devices heretofore devised have not been capable of providing automatic operation as high density bales were formed and consequently required substantial handling and manipulation of bales to accomplish the tying operation.

Heretofore a completed bale has generally served as the rear end of the compaction chamber into which the material to be baled was compressed. Wire has generally been dispensed from a spool or coil at one side of the compaction chamber while the end of the wire is firmly anchored at the other side of the compaction chamber, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,776,615. As material was compressed into the chamber the wire was gripped between the previously formed bale and the bale being formed with such force that the wire was often broken. Therefore, high density bales had to be tied manually.

Apparatus heretofore devised, as illustrated in US. Pat. No. 2,585,425, for dispensing wire from spools adjacent opposite sides of the compaction chamber was not readily adaptable for automatic operation or employment of still high strength wire.

A further undesirable feature of bale tying apparatus heretofore devised has been the requirement that complex mechanism be mounted adjacent opposite sides of the compaction chamber. Thus extensive fabrication has been required for installation of tying devices on bale forming machines.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION I have devised bale tying apparatus which is employed in conjunction with conventional bale forming The first embodiment of tying apparatus comprises a twister assembly positioned adjacent one side of the compression chamber and a needle carriage assembly positioned adjacent the opposite side of the compression chamber for moving a plurality of wires across the rear end of the compression chamber toward the twister assembly. The needle carriage assembly moves needles through open slots in the face of a plunger which is maintained in compressing relation with the bale to be tied. Since the slots in the plunger are often filled with material being pressed to form the bale, means is provided adjacent the twisters for directing one or more jets of air or other suitable fluid toward the twister assembly for cleaning same preparatory for twisting the wires delivered by the needles.

The twister assembly of the first embodiment comprises a plurality of twister hooks, each of said hooks having a V-shaped slot formed therein such that rotation of the hook engages portions of wires to be twisted, urging the wire into the V-shaped slot securely gripping same. Each strand of wire is moved to a position wherein spaced portions of the strand engage rotatable twister hooks and the intermediate portion between the hooks is moved into engagement with a cutter assembly. Rotation of the spaced twister hooks through a plurality of revolutions forms a secure tie in the wire extending about the bale and draws the wire thereabout taut while the bale is maintained in a compressed condition. Rotation of the hooks also joins ends of wires extending from spools disposed on opposite sides of the compression chamber such that a wire extends across the opening of the compression chamber into which a subsequent bale is to be formed. Since spools feed wire from each side of the compression chamber, pressure between bales cannot cause breakage of strands of wire as resulted using tying devices having a single spool at one side to feed wire.

The second embodiment of the invention comprises a self-contained tying assembly positioned adjacent one side of the compression chamber of the bale forming apparatus. Spaced rotatable hooks are mounted on a carriage for extending the hooks across the rear end of the compression chamber to engage a plurality of strands of wire extending along the second side of the chamber. Retraction of the carriage positions intermediate portions of the wire strands adjacent strands extending along the first side of the chamber. Rotation of the spaced hooks draws the wire taut and forms a secure tie or knot.

Suitable means such as an electrical system is employed to automatically control the operation of the tying apparatus responsive to signals generated from the baling apparatus.

A primary object of the invention is to provide bale tying apparatus for tensioning and tying stifi wire about a bale while the bale is held in a compressed condition under high pressure such that the bale when released will be maintained in the compressed condition by wires extending thereabout.

Another object of the invention is to provide a selfcontained bale tying apparatus, the manufacture and assembly of which can be completed prior to installation on a bale forming apparatus.

Another object is to provide bale tying apparatus for mounting on one side of a bale forming apparatus.

Another object is to provide bale tying apparatus adapted to automatically perform a sequence of operations required to tie a high density bale responsive to a signal indicating that a bale has been formed.

A further object of the invention is to provide high density bale tying apparatus wherein spaced twister hooks, adapted to securely grip sections of wire, are employed to draw a strand of wire taut about a bale and to form a strong tie capable of withstanding substantial force, said hooks being adapted to perform the tying operation even though substantial quantities of foreign matter such as shredded paper is prsent on the wire.

A still further object of the invention is to provide bale tying apparatus adapted to clean twisting apparatus prior to each twisting operation to remove foreign matter from the twisting mechanism to assure that a satisfactory tie will be formed.

A still further object of the invention is to provide bale tying apparatus particularly adapted for installation with bale forming apparatus of varying size and dimension at minimum cost making use thereof economically feasible for a wide variety of operations including disposal and recycling of waste products in addition to baling materials for sale.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent upon referring to the detailed description hereinafter following and to the drawings annexed hereto.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Drawings of two preferred embodiments of the invention are annexed hereto so that the invention may be better and more fully understood, in which:

FIG. I is a schematic perspective view of the first form of tying apparatus illustrating its relationship to bale forming apparatus;

FIG. II is a schematic side elevational view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. I;

FIG. III is a cross-sectional view taken along line III III of FIG. I;

FIG. IV is a perspective view of a finished bale which has been tied;

FIG. V is an exploded perspective view of the first form of the tying apparatus;

FIGS. VI, VII and IX are fragmentary plan views of the first form of the twister apparatus illustrating the tying sequence;

FIG. VIII is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. VII;

FIG. IX is a cross-sectional view taken along line IXIX of FIG. IX;

FIG. XI is a schematic diagram of the control system;

FIG. XII is a fragmentary perspective view of the second form of the apparatus;

FIGS. XIII-XVIII are fragmentary elevation views of the second embodiment of the twister hooks illustrating the tying sequence; and

FIG. XIX is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along XIXXIX of FIG. XII.

Numeral references are employed to designate like parts throughout the various figures of the drawing.

DESCRIPTION OF A FIRST EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. I of the drawing the numeral 1 generally designates the twister assembly positioned on the opposite side of a compression chamber in which a bale 3 is formed from a needle carriage assembly generally designated by numeral 2.

A bale is formed as loose material is deposited through a filling hopper or chute 4 into a compression chamber therebelow. Suitable means 5 having a plunger 6, best illustrated in FIG. IV, is employed for compressing loose material, delivered through chute 4, into the compression chamber forming bale 3.

A plurality of spools 8 of wire are spaced vertically adjacent twister assembly 1, as will be hereinafter more fully described. A plurality of spools 10 of wire dispense strands of wire 11 along the side of compression chamber adjacent carriage assembly 2 such that when ends of strands 9 and 11 are joined as by tying at 13 a plurality of vertically spaced strands of wire are formed extending across the compression chamber such that material forced into the compression chamber is urged against the wires such that a portion of a loop is formed about the bale while the material is being compressed into the compression chamber.

As best illustrated in FIG. V, strands of wire 9 dis pensed from spools 8 extend between guide rollers 14 and 15 and around guide rollers 16 and 18 positioned adjacent twister assembly 1 such that one of the strands 9 is positioned adjacent each pair of twister hooks 20 of twister assembly 1.

Each strand of wire 11 dispensed from spool 10, on the opposite side of the path along which material to be compressed'into a bale is moved, is directed between rollers similar to guide rollers l4, l5, and 16 secured adjacent needle carriage assembly 2 such that each strand of wire 11 is positioned adjacent a needle element 25.

Referring particularly to the needle carriage assembly illustrated in FIG. V, needle carriage assembly 2 comprises a support frame having spaced vertically extending members 30, 31, 32, and 33, having lower ends joined by longitudinally extending members 34 and 35, upper ends being connected by longitudinally extending members 36 and 37. Transversely extending mem bers 38 and 39 join lower ends of the upwardly extending members and transversely extending members 40 and 41 join upper ends thereof.

A plate 45 is secured by suitable means, such as threaded bolts 46, to the upper end of the support frame.

A carriage is adapted to move a plurality of needle elements 25 longitudinally of needle carriage assembly 2.

Upper and lower guide bars 52 and 54 extend longitudinally of the support frame and control the direction of travel of carriage 50, as will be hereinafter more fully explained. A track 56 extends longitudinally of the needle carriage assembly 2 and is spaced vertically between upper and lower ends thereof. Opposite ends of track 56 are secured by mounting plates 58 and 50 to upwardly extending members 31 and 33 by suitable means such as bolts 60.

A rack gear 62 is secured to track 56 by suitable means such as bolts 64 and extends along the lower side thereof.

Carriage 50 comprises a plate 65 having means secured thereto for engagement with track 56 allowing longitudinal movement therealong while limiting vertical movement of plate 65. As best illustrated in FIG. V, rollers 66 are rotatable about an axle 67 extending through apertures formed in the plate, roller 66 being positioned to roll along the lower surface of track 56. Rollers 58, rotatable about an axle 69 extending through apertures in plate 65, are positioned to roll along the upper surface of track 56. Axle 69 extends through a bushing 70 which is received in aperture 72 formed in plate 65, the axle 69 being secured against longitudinal movment by a nut 73, lock washer 74 and washer 75.

Wheels 76 are rotatable about axles 77 extending through apertures 78 in lugs 79 welded or otherwise secured to the upper end of plate 65, said axle being secured against longitudinal movement by nuts 80 and lock washers 81.

Wheels 82 are similarly secured to lugs 83 adjacent the lower edge of plate 65.

From the foregoing it should be readily apparent that rollers 66 and 68 limit vertical movement and carry the weight of plate 65 while rollers 76 and 82 limit movement of plate 65 transversely of the support frame directing travel of plate 65 longitudinally of guide bars 52 and 54.

The output shaft 84 of needle carriage drive motor 85 has a gear 86 secured thereto disposed in meshing contact with a gear 87 secured to mounting shaft 88. A gear 89 secured to shaft 88 is disposed in meshing relation with gear 90 secured to shaft 92. Connected to gear 90 is a pinion 94 disposed in meshing relation with teeth 63 on rack gear 62 secured to the lower side of track 56.

A gear box 96 is employed for housing the gears associated with the needle carriage drive motor 85, said gear box being connected by suitable means such as bolts extending through elongated openings 98 in an end of gear box 96 and through apertures 100 in plate 65 of carriage 50.

From the foregoing it should be readily apparent that power supplied from needle carriage drive motor 85 imparts rotation to pinion gear 94 in meshing relation with teeth 63 on rack gear 62 for movement of the carriage longitudinally of guide means 52 and 54.

Connector elements 102, having lugs 103 welded or otherwise secured thereto, are secured by suitable means such as bolts 105 extending through apertures 104 in plate 65 of carriage 50. Connector element 102 has elongated openings 106 extending therethrough for receiving bolts 107 extending through apertures 108 in needle arm 110. Bolts 107 are secured through apertures 108 and elongated openings 106 by a nut 111, lock washer 112 and washer 113.

A head 1 14 is secured to the outer end of each needle arm and is adapted to engage a central portion of a strand 11 of wire and to move the portion of the strand 11 transversely across the path of movement of material being baled to a position wherein strand 1] and strand 9 may be twisted by a pair of twister hooks 20.

Needle head 114 comprises a pair of spaced clevises 116 and 118 having rollers 117 and 119 rotatably disposed therein on bushings 117' and 119'. Rollers 117 and 119 are rotatable about screws 120 employed to rotatably secure the rollers to clevises 116 and 118.

Needle head 114 has a slot 122 extending therethrough between clevises 116 and 118 to allow positioning the clevises on opposite sides of jaws of the cutter assembly as will be hereinafter more fully explained. Cutout portions 124 and 126 extend through opposite sides of needle head 114 to allow positioning strands of wire 9 and 1 1 adjacent twister hooks on twisting heads 140 as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

Guide rollers 21, 22, 23 and 24 are rotatably secured to mounting plates 26, which is welded or otherwise secured to upwardly extending members 27, which are in turn secured by suitable means such as bolts 27a to upwardly extending member 31 of the support frame of needle carriage assembly 2. Bolt 23a extends through an aperture in plate 26a and through bushing 23b, the lower end of said bolt extending through an aperture in plate 26 and being secured thereto by a nut 23c. Rollers 21, 22 and 24 are mounted in similar fashion.

A wire guide assembly 130 comprises suitable guide means such as spaced arms 132 and 134 secured to support member 135. Support member 135 is secured by suitable means such as bolts 136 to upwardly extending member 30 of the support frame.

Arms 132 and 134 have deflected portions 132a and 1340 arranged to guide a strand of wire into a passage 138 between arms 132 and 134.

Rollers 21, 22, 23 and 24 are disposed in a plane in which rollers 117 and 119 on needle head 114 and in which passage 138 between arms 132 and 134 are disposed. Thus it should be appreciated that the strand 1] of wire will be maintained in a substantially horizontal plane by the respective guide means.

The twister assembly generally designated by numeral 1 comprises a plurality of vertically spaced pairs 20 of twister hooks, each pair 20 of hooks lying in the same plane as the pair of rollers 117 and 119 of needle head 114 of the needle carriage assembly 2. Sets of rollers 14, 15, 16 and 18 likewise lie in this same plane such that a strand 9 of wire and a strand 11 of wire lie in a common plane to facilitate joining and twisting the strands together.

Each twister hook comprises a head 140 having a shoulder 142 and a finger 144 arranged to form a substantially V-shaped slot 146 such that a strand of wire extending into said V-shaped slot will be securely gripped therein.

Each head 140 of each twister hook is secured to a shaft 148 having a gear 150 secured thereto. Suitable means such as upwardly extending members 152 rotatably support shafts 148 such that a pair of said twister heads 140 is positioned in each of a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal planes.

Idler gears 154 are disposed between gears 150 forming a gear train such that power delivered by a twister drive motor 155 is delivered to each shaft 148 for imparting rotation thereto. Any suitable means, such as a chain 156, may be employed for connecting one row of horizontally spaced twister hook shafts with the other row thereof.

As best illustrated in FIGS. V, VIII and X, means 158 is provided for severing strands 9 and 11 of wire intermediate twister heads 140.

Cutter plates 160 and 162, having substantially V- shaped openings 160a and 162a formed therein are pivotally connected by suitable means such as a bolt 164 to an upwardly extending member 165 having upper and lower ends secured to a top 166 and bottom 177 of the frame of twister assembly 1.

Each cutter plate 160 is pivotally connected to an arm 168 movably secured to the frame of twister assembly l by suitable means such as a bolt 169.

Each cutter plate 162 is pivotally connected to a vertically movable arm 170 by suitable means such as a bolt 171 and arms 168 and 170 are arranged for movement in opposite directions by links 172 and 174 having upper ends pivotally connected as by bolts 176 and 178 to actuating lever 180. An intermediate portion of actuating lever 180 is pivotally connected to a fulcrum 181.

The outer end of actuating lever 180 is pivotally connected by a pin 182 to the outer end of a rod 184 of pressure actuated cylinder 18S. Cylinder 185 is secured by suitable means such as lug 186 and pin 187 to a sup port bar 188 secured to the twister assembly frame.

From the foregoing it should be readily apparent that supplying pressurized fluid to the inside of cylinder 185 results in movement of cutter plates 160 and 162 between the positions illustrated in FIG. VIII and FIG. X of the drawing. The electrical and hydraulic control system illustrated in FIG. XI will be described in conjunction with the operating sequence of the apparatus.

OPERATION The operation and function of the first embodiment of the apparatus hereinbefore described is as follows:

Referring to FIG. I of the drawing, conventional bale forming apparatus is employed for urging material to be baled against strands of wire 9 and 11 joined at 13 to form a loop around a portion of the bale. It should be appreciated that strands 9 and 11 are fed from separate spools or coils 8 and at opposite sides of the baling apparatus such that excessive force is not exerted on the portion 11' of strand 11 which is gripped between bales 3 and 3'.

When the baler is in position for the bale 3 to be tied, a signal is generated by a suitable switching apparatus 200 and delivered to the electrical control circuit of the tying apparatus, as illustrated in FIG. XI, through line 201 to terminal 202. The control system of the baling apparatus causes plunger 6 to stop at the end of the compression stroke allowing initiation of the tying sequence of operation.

The plunger 6 having slotted openings 6a formed in the face thereof is positioned substantially as illustrated in FIG. VI to allow passage of needle assembly elements 25 through respective openings 6a. Maintaining plunger 6 in pressure relation with the end of bale 3 while the tying operation is being performed maintains the material in the bale under pressure and facilitates movement of needle elements 25 adjacent thereto.

When the electrical signal from switching device 200 is received at terminal 202, the coil of relay R'-l is activated. Current is then delivered across contacts 13 of relay R-l to terminal 204 and through line 206 to the coil of solenoid 208 thereby shifting valve 210 for directing pressurized fluid from pump 212 to needle carriage drive motor 85 initiating movement of carriage assembly 50 for moving needle elements 25 through slot 6a in plunger 6 to the position illustrated in FIG. VI of the drawing.

As needle elements 25 move toward the position illustrated in FIG. VI, each needle element engages strands 11 of wire extending between guide rollers 21-24 and passage 135 between arms 132 and 134 as illustrated in FIG. V. The carriage assembly 50 continues to move toward twister assembly 1 until the carriage contacts limit switch LS-3. When switch LS-3 is engaged, normally closed contacts are actuated to break the circuit between contacts l-3 of relay R-1 and terminal 204 releasing solenoid 208 thereby stopping needle carriage drive motor 85. However. current is diverted through the normally open contacts of switch elements LS-3 to energize the coil of time delay apparatus TD-6 and starts to time out the stop position of the needle carriage 50.

The needle carriage 50 is stopped as ends of heads 114 move out of openings 6a and plunger 6 such that air jets may be blown from nozzles N to blow loose material from the end of the needle head 114 and needle head slot areas 122, 124 and 126 to assure that loose material will not be present which might interfere with the twisting of the strands 9 and 11 of the wire.

When time delay device TD-6 times out, needle carriage drive motor is again energized imparting movement to needle carriage 50 until heads 114 are positioned as illustrated in FIG. VII, at which time carriage assembly 50 actuates limit switch LS-2. Actuation of limit switch LS-2 breaks the circuit through normally closed contacts 1-2 thereof, breaking the circuit through contacts 1-3 of relay R-1 and stopping the flow of pressurized fluid through needle carriage drive motor 85. The closing of contacts 3-4 of limit switch LS-2 diverts current from the normally closed contacts 1-2 through the normally open contacts 34 to terminal 214. From terminal 214 current is directed through the normally closed contacts 1-4 of relay R-2 to terminal 216 to energize solenoid 218, shifting valve 220 for directing pressurized fluid to twister drive motor causing twister hooks 140 to rotate in a forward direction as indicated by the arrow in FIG. V.

Current is also directed from terminal 214 through the normally closed contacts 1-4 of relay R-4 to terminal 222 thereby energizing solenoid 224 of valve 226 directing pressurized fluid to the lower end of cylinder 185 for extending the rod 184 thereof, shifting cutter plates and 162 toward the position illustrated in FIG. X. When cutter plates reach the position illustrated in FIG. X actuating lever engages limit switch LS-4 opening the normally closed contacts thereof breaking the circuit to terminal 222, deenergizing solenoid 224 and stopping movement of rod 184 of cylinder 185.

It should be appreciated that if it is deemed expedient to do so a time delay device may be introduced allowing rotation of twister hooks 140 one or more revolutions before pressurized fluid is directed to cylinder 185 to assure that the wire is securely gripped in V- shaped slots 146 in twister head 140.

As twister heads 140 rotate in a forward direction, indicated by the arrow in FIG. V, twisting strands 9 and 11 of wire, limit switch LS-6, best illustrated in FIGS. I and IX of the drawing, is being contacted on each revolution and stops a stepping switch on each revolution for counting and limiting rotation of shifts 148 to a predetermined number of revolutions. Experience has shown that rotation of twister hook shafts 148 through approximately seven revolutions forms a tie drawing the strands of wire taut around the bale. the tie being sufficiently strong to assure that the wire will not be untied even though the wires are maintained in high tension.

When the wiper of limit switch LS-6 steps to the position wherein terminals 33-28 are closed, the coil of relay R-2 is energized opening the normally closed contacts 1 and 4 of relay R-2 and closing contacts 1 and 3 thereof directing current to terminal 230. Terminal 230 is connectetd with solenoid 232 which when energized shifts valve 220 for directing pressurized fluid through twister drive motor 155 for rotating same in a reverse direction imparting rotation to the twister hook 140 in the direction indicated by arrows in dashed outline in FIG. V.

As twister hooks 140 rotate in the reverse direction the twisted ends of strands 9 and 11 of wire are pulled out of V-shaped slots 146 freeing the twisted wires therefrom. Limit switch LS-2 then causes the stepping device to advance two additional revolutions. When the stepping device reaches terminal 228 the coil of relay R-3 and the coil of relay R-4 are energized. The needle carriage drive motor 84 is consequently energized for moving carriage assembly 50 for retracting needle elements 25 to the home position, provided limit switch LS-7 is being held by the cam on the twister drive shaft. Limit switch LS-7 is a safety switch to prevent movement of needle elements 25 until twister hook fingers 144 are positioned as illustrated in FIG. V to prevent physical contact with head 114.

When carriage assembly 150 contacts the trip arm of limit switch LS-2 current flows through limit switch LS-S to energize solenoid 232 for directing pressurized fluid such that the rod 184 of cylinder 185 will be retracted. When the current plates 160 and 162 reach'the home position limit switch LS-S is held in the open position.

As carriage assembly 50 reaches the home position micropulse switch MPS-.12 is actuated and a signal is delivered to the baling apparatus to indicate that the tying sequence has been completed.

When the carriage assembly 50 actuates limit switch LS-l needle carriage drive motor 85 is de-energized.

Push button switches PS-9, PS- and PS-ll are provided to allow manual control of the electrical system hereinbefore described.

Push button switch PS-9 is connected with terminal 202 in parallel with signal generating device 200 such that closing the contacts of switch PS-9 steps the apparatus through a complete operating cycle as hereinbefore described.

Push button switch PS-llO is connected to allow manual retraction of needle carriage" assembly '50. When the contacts of switch PS-10 are opened electrical circuits through the coils of all relays are broken and current is directed to solenoid 234 causing pressurized fluid to be directed through needle carriage drive motor 85 in a direction for moving needle carriage 50 toward the home position. 1

Push button switch PS-ll disconnects the electrical power supply from the electrical circuit to stop the various components of the tying device in any desired position as might be necessary for conducting maintenance operations.

SECOND EMBODIMENT A second embodiment of the bale tying apparatus is illustrated in FIGS. XIIXIX of the drawing.

The second embodiment of the tying device is similar to the first embodiment hereinbefore described except that the twister assembly and needle assembly are incorporated into a single tying assembly 2 which is positioned to replace the needle assembly 2 illustrated in FIG. I of the drawing. I g

As best illustrated in FIG. XII the support frame of tyer assembly 2' is substantially the same as that of needle assembly 2 illustrated in FIG. V and has a carriage 50 movable longitudinally therethrough and propelled by a motor (not shown) mounted in a manner similar to that of carriage drive motor illustrated in FIG. V.

Carriage 50' comprises a plate 65 movable along suitable guide means permitting movement longitudinally of the support frame while limiting movement transversely and vertically relative to the frame of the tyer assembly 2.

Connector elements 102 having lugs 103 welded or otherwise secured thereto, are secured by suitable means such as bolts to plate 65' of carriage assembly 50.

A pair of bearings 300 and 302 is secured to each of the connector members 102 for rotatably supporting a twister hook shaft 148. Suitable means is provided to prevent longitudinal movement of shaft 148' relative to the carriage 50. In the particular embodiment illustrated in FIG. XII sleeves 304 and 306 are positioned about shaft 148' adjacent opposite sides of bearing 302 and are locked to the shaft, for example, by set screws 308 thereby forming shoulders adjacent opposite sides of bearing 302 restraining shaft 148' against longitudinal movement through the bearing 302.

A support plate 310 is secured across the front end of the support frame of tyer assembly 2 and has bearings 312 secured thereto adjacent apertures formed therein which slidably and rotatably receive shafts 148.

Each shaft 148 has a twister hook secured to the outer end thereof and is rotatable by suitable drive means such'as motor secured to one of the connector elements 102' and having a sprocket 314 secured to the drive shaft thereof. Each of the twister hook support shafts 148 has a sprocket 316 mounted thereon and driven by a chain 156 extending about sprockets 314 and 316.

Means 158' is provided for severing strands 9 and 11 of wire intermediate twister hooks 40.

Cutter plates 160' and 162' having substantially V- shaped openings formed therein are pivotally connected by suitable means such as bolts to an upwardly extending member 165' having upper and lower ends secured to support plate 310 of the frame of the tyer assembly 2.

Each cutter plate 160 is pivotally connected to a vertically movable arm 168' by suitable means such as a bolt or pin and each cutter plate 162 is pivotally connected to a vertically movable arm 170' by suitable means such as a bolt 171'. Arms 168 and 170 are arranged for movement in opposite directions by an actuating lever pivotally secured to upper ends thereof. An intermediate portion of actuating lever 180' is pivotally connected to a fulcrum 181' and the outer end of actuating lever 180' is pivotally connected by a pin 182' to the upper end of a rod 184 of a pressure actuated cylinder (not shown).

The operation and function of the severing means 158' is substantially the same as that of severing means 158 hereinbefore described in the first embodiment and illustrated in FIGS. V, VII and X of the drawing.

OPERATION I The operation and function of the second embodiment of the apparatus hereinbefore described is as follows:

Conventional bale forming apparatus is employed for urging material to be baled against strands of wire 9' and 11' joined at 13' to form a loop around a portion of the bale. It should be appreciated that strands 9' and II are fed from separate spools or coils 8 and It) on opposite sides of the baling apparatus such that excessive force is not exerted on the central portion 90 of strand 9' which is gripped between adjacent bales.

When the baler is in position for a bale to be tied, the carriage drive motor is energized moving carriage 50 toward support plate 310 at the end of tyer assembly 2' thereby moving the hooks 140 on ends of shafts 148' through slotted openings 60 of plunger 6 which is maintained in pressure relation with the end of the bale while the tying operation is being performed.

As illustrated in FIG. XIII the hook 140 on shaft 148' prior to movement of the carriage 50' is positioned adjacent wire 11. As illustrated in FIGS. XIII and XIV the finger 144' engages strand I l of wire deflecting the wire downwardly permitting movement of the head 140' of the hook above the strand ll. Continued movement of the shaft 148 results in engagement of finger 144 with the strand 9' of wire which is deflected downwardly until the finger 144 passes over the strand 9' at which time it moves into engagement with the lower surface of shaft 148.

When the hook 140' reaches the position illustrated in FIG. XVI carriage drive motor is reversed and carriage 50' is moved in the opposite direction drawing hooks 140 back through slot 6a formed in plunger 6.

As illustrated in FIGS. XVII and XVIII retraction of the hook 140' engaging the strand 9 results in positioning a portion of strand 9 adjacent strand 11' which is also engaged by the finger 144 and moved into V- shaped slot formed in cutter plates 160' and 162 as illustrated in FIG. XIX.

As hereinbefore described in connection with the first embodiment, suitable limit switches are positioned to provide automatic sequential operation of various elements of the tying apparatus.

When hooks 140' reach the position illustrated in FIG. XIX the carriage drive motor is de-energized and the twister drive motor 155 is energized causing twister hooks 140' to rotate in a forward direction as indicated by arrows in FIG. XIX. Simultaneously with the energizing of motor 155 rod 184' is retracted shifting cutter plates 160' and 162' to sever strands 9' and 11' of wire.

As twister heads 140 rotate in a forward direction, twisting strands 9 and 11' of wire, the wire is drawn taut around the bale and the severed ends of the wire are tied together.

After twister hooks 140 have rotated a predetermined number of revolutions, for example, seven revolutions, twister drive motor 155 is reversed thereby rotating twister hooks 140' in the reverse direction pulling the strands 9' and 11' out of V-shaped slots 146'.

From the foregoing it should be readily apparent that the second embodiment of the tying apparatus illustrated in FIGS. XII-XIX of the drawings is particularly adapted for complete assembly at a manufacturing facility and eliminates substantial fabrication heretofore required for installation of bale tying apparatus.

It should further be appreciated that while the second embodiment of the apparatus accomplishes the objects of the invention hereinbefore set forth, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic concept thereof.

Having described my invention. I claim:

1. Bale tying apparatus comprising: a twister support; guide means on said twister support; a carriage movealy secured to said guide means: means to move said carriage along said guide means; first and second twister hooks rotatably secured to said carriage; means to rotate said twister hooks; first and second cutter plates pivotally secured to the said twister support; a first arm pivotally secured to said first cutter plate; a second arm pivotally secured to said second cutter plate; a lever; means to pivotally secure said first and second arms to said lever; a fulcrum pivotally secured between said twister support and said lever; and means to move said lever such that said first and second arms move in opposite directions to sever wire engaged by said first and second cutter plates.

2. The combination called for in claim 1 wherein each twister hook comprises: a shoulder and a finger angularly disposed to form a slot of converging width such that wire engaged by said finger is directed into the slot and gripped between the shoulder and the finger.

3. The combination called for in claim 1 wherein material is moved along a path adjacent a twister support to form a bale, with the addition of wire dispensing means adjacent opposite sides of the path along which material to be baled is moved, said dispensing means being adapted to dispense wire from each side of said path when material is urged against a strand of wire extending therebetween.

4. The combination called for in claim 1 wherein the means to rotate the tiwster hooks comprise: a reversible motor; means to secure said reversible motor to said carriage; and drive means operably connected between said motor and each of said twister hooks.

5. The combination called for in claim 1 wherein the means to move said carriage along said guide means comprises: a reversible motor; means to secure said reversible motor to said carriage; and means driven by said reversible motor to move said carriage along said guide means.

6. Bale tying apparatus for tying material to form a bale as the bale is moved along a path comprising: wire dispensing means adjacent opposite sides of the path along which material to be baled is moved, said wire dispensing means being adapted to dispense wire from each side of said path when material is urged against a strand of wire extending therebetween; a twister support adjacent one side of said path; guide means on said twister support; a carriage moveably secured to said guide means; first and second twister hooks rotatably secured to said carriage; means to move said carriage along said guide means to move said twister hooks from a first position adjacent one side of said path to a second position adjacent the opposite side of said path, said wire dispensing means being arranged such that said twister hooks engage a strand of wire at said second position and move said strand of wire to said first position; and means to rotate said twister hooks; first and second cutter plates pivotally secured to the said twister support; a first arm pivotally secured to said first cutter plate; a second arm pivotally secured to said second cutter plate; a lever; means to pivotally secure said first and second arm to said lever; a fulcrum pivotally secured between said twister support and said lever; and means to move said lever such that said first and second arms move in opposite directions to sever wire engaged by said first and second cutter plates.

7. The combination called for in claim 6 wherein the means to move said carriage along said guide means comprises a reversible motor; means securing said reversible motor to said carriage; and means driven by said reversible motor to move said carriage along said guide means. 

1. Bale tying apparatus comprising: a twister support; guide means on said twister support; a carriage moveably secured to said guide means; means to move said carriage along said guide means; first and second twister hooks rotatably secured to said carriage; means to rotate said twister hooks; first and second cutter plates pivotally secured to the said twister support; a first arm pivotally secured to said first cutter plate; a second arm pivotally secured to said second cutter plate; a lever; means to pivotally secure said first and second arms to said lever; a fulcrum pivotally secured between said twister support and said lever; and means to move said lever such that said first and second arms move in opposite directions to sever wire engaged by said first and second cutter plates.
 2. The combination called for in claim 1 wherein each twister hook comprises: a shoulder and a finger angularly disposed to form a slot of converging width such that wire engaged by said finger is directed into the slot and gripped between the shoulder and the finger.
 3. The combination called for in claim 1 wherein material is moved along a path adjacent a twister support to form a bale, with the addition of wire dispensing means adjacent opposite sides of the path along which material to be baled is moved, said dispensing means being adapted to dispense wire from each side of said path when material is urged against a strand of wire extending therebetween.
 4. The combination called for in claim 1 wherein the means to rotate the tiwster hooks comprise: a reversible motor; means to secure said reversible motor to said carriage; and drive means operably connected between said motor and each of said twister hooks.
 5. THe combination called for in claim 1 wherein the means to move said carriage along said guide means comprises: a reversible motor; means to secure said reversible motor to said carriage; and means driven by said reversible motor to move said carriage along said guide means.
 6. Bale tying apparatus for tying material to form a bale as the bale is moved along a path comprising: wire dispensing means adjacent opposite sides of the path along which material to be baled is moved, said wire dispensing means being adapted to dispense wire from each side of said path when material is urged against a strand of wire extending therebetween; a twister support adjacent one side of said path; guide means on said twister support; a carriage moveably secured to said guide means; first and second twister hooks rotatably secured to said carriage; means to move said carriage along said guide means to move said twister hooks from a first position adjacent one side of said path to a second position adjacent the opposite side of said path, said wire dispensing means being arranged such that said twister hooks engage a strand of wire at said second position and move said strand of wire to said first position; and means to rotate said twister hooks; first and second cutter plates pivotally secured to the said twister support; a first arm pivotally secured to said first cutter plate; a second arm pivotally secured to said second cutter plate; a lever; means to pivotally secure said first and second arm to said lever; a fulcrum pivotally secured between said twister support and said lever; and means to move said lever such that said first and second arms move in opposite directions to sever wire engaged by said first and second cutter plates.
 7. The combination called for in claim 6 wherein the means to move said carriage along said guide means comprises a reversible motor; means securing said reversible motor to said carriage; and means driven by said reversible motor to move said carriage along said guide means. 